Multistage compressor.



A C. E. RATEAU.

MULHSTAGE COMPRESSOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I6, 1914.

Patented May 18, 1915.

INVENTOR 1 a maamfifl izarM A TTORNE? WITNESSES 2 km;

STATES PATENT oFmoE.

accusing .c. a. sauna, or rams, rnaucn, assmnon TO ,m'rnau BATTU smoo'r COHIPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

munrrsmes ooirransson.

To all whom it may oonoern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTE C. E. RATEAU,

- a citizen of the/Republic of France, residing in Paris, in the Republic of France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Multistage Compressors, of which the following is a true and exact descripment is characterized by the fact that the final pressure of the compressed fluid; namely, that at the outlet of the reciprocating compressor, regulates the admission of steam to the turbine in such manner that as the final pressure tends to diminish, the

. work of the turbine is increased; and the reciprocating compressor, without varying appreciably the work of the steam engine driving it, thereupon dischargesa greater quantity of fluid, and resta-blishes the final pressure, which is thus maintained approximately constant.

The various features of .novelty characterizing my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, however, and of the advantages possessed by it, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which I have illustrated and described forms in which my invention may be embodied.

Of the drawings: Figure 1 is adiagrammatic view of an arrangement in which a low pressure turbine is employed; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of a portion of a modification of the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, in which a regulated escape of exhaust steam from the engine directly to the condenser is permitted; and Fig. 3 is a view taken simi larly to Figs. 1 and 2, illustrating an arrangemcnt in which a mixed flow turbine is employed.

As shown in the drawings, a reciprocating engine A is connected to a reciprocating compressor 15. and a steam turbine'D to a rotary compressor E. The connection be- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented May 18 1915 Application filed April 16, 1914.

Serial No. 882,289.

tween the steam engine and reciprocating engine, on one hand, and between the turbme and the rotary compressor on the other hand, is generally a direct connection in each case, as shown, but it will be understood that a mechanical transmission, or even an electrical transmission, may be employed between each compressor and its driving motor.

- S is the air inlet of the rotary compressor E, and F the air outlet which is connected to the inlet of the reciprocating compressor B.

The pipe G leads from the outlet of the compressor B to the apparatus which utilizes the a1r or gas compressed. To the conduit G is connected a regulating device H, which is responsive to the pressure of the fluid'in the pipe G, and, as illustrated, comprises a cylinder and a piston I working therein. One face of the piston I is subjected to the pressure of conduit G and the-other to a pressure which is approximately constant, such as atmospheric pressure. This last pressure may be modified or augmented by a counter-weight, or like means. As shown, a spring J is employed for this purpose. The piston I is connected to the inlet admission valve L of the turbine D by a lever K having the fixed fulcrum T.

The operation is as follows: Ifthe pressure lowers in duct G, that is to say, if the demand for the fluid compressed increases, the piston I comes down and increases the admission of steam to turbine D. This increases the speed of the turbine and the work done by the latter. The rotary compressor, E then takes in a larger volume of gas, and compresses it to a higher pressure,

and the reciprocating compressor B, receiving fluid at this higher pressure, discharges a larger quantity of compressed fluid, and thus reestablishes the normal pressure in the pipe G. As the turbine load thus changes, the work done by the reciprocating compressor does not appreciably vary, for, while its discharging volume is increased on the one hand, the ratio of compression is decreased on the other hand. \Vhen the pressure tends to increase in discharge duct G.

the regulating operation is the reverse of that ust described.

As shown in Fig. 1. the turbine I) is a low pressure machine and its only source of steam is the exhaust steam from the steam bi-ne exhausts-to condenser M. Under these conditions, the low pressure turbine is so designed as to absorb all the steam' discharged by the reciprocating engine working at maximum power. Under the condition in which the two machines should oper-' ate at reduced output the turbine, with the regulation described above, reduces its speed,

- and delivery pressure, and its steam admission pressure will also diminish.

' Inorder to reduce the steam consumption of the piston engine, it is advantageous to diminish its back exhaust pressure. For this purpose the regulating means already -described is combined with regulating aparatus of the kind described in French atent No. 386,039, January 8th, 1908. .This apparatus includes means responsive to the pressure difierential at the inlet andoutlet sides of the admission valve of the turbine, employed in regulating the discharge of exhaust steam from the reci rocating engine direct to the condenser. n the apparatus of this type shown in Fig. 2, the piston N,

which is subjected on the one side through pipeO to the pressure atthe inlet side of the throttle valvelL, andon the other side ms. of the reciprocating reduced for light loads.

bine'spe'ed 'iand tioe pressure in conduit 0.

Apparatus 'cfi this'kind is shown in Fig. 3, wherein the mixed pressure turbine DD, re-' placing the turbine D of Fig. 1, may receive 1 eihaust' steam from the reciprocating en gin-e A through the pipe SC and ma receive live steam through the pipe U. he flow of steam through the pipes CC and U is-controlled by throttle valves C and U These valves are controlled by governing mechanism including a cylinder V to whichthe pressure-in the pipe CO at the inlet side of valve G is transmitted through a pipe-V and including also adjustable connections between the piston V working in cylinder V-and the valves C? and U, being similar in these respects to the governing mechanism Patent No. 839,318, granted December 25'th,1906. In the present.

arrangement, however, the link W, tbrou hwhich-the connections between piston and valves C "and U are adjustcd,iis not f connectedto and operated by a speed gov-' ernor, but by the piston I of the device H,

R, we to the 1n which air'andgasare compressed "reciprocatin compressor for regulating which acts on this regulatingdivhfl" of actin' directly on the Fig. 1. or light loads the tuflfiiao Y ceives steam only. from the low source through pipe C The back to 1" on the reciprocatin aniline is to M II in Fig. 2 by piston ,w 'ch is an jeotod h the difierentialof the pressures on the posite' sides of, the *low pressurofifihroxf valve. The turbine can also'be a high m u sure turbine and entirely independent o a piston engine,'the piston engme exhludifig directly into the condenser or to atmosphere. The regulating apparatus H acts than on high ressure inlet 'valv'e' inde Essentially this result is seen .with tho ap aratus shown'in Fi 3, when the stop Va ve C in the pipe 1 ilOlOSOd; 7 My invention is obviously adapted for use Where the turbinaand the engine and the compressor: are ea in several pllrts, working in series'or' in parallel. For eilample', 'thelrociprocating enginoma be cdmpouniorthoro'flry compramor in ads two which in succulsion, tho'olfitic-fluid." This invention in peciall' applicable to work in. min but in gene! y useful in all kinds of i lotions Having m described my invention, I11 I claim as new and desire to secure by IM- ters Patentpis:

1. Apparatus for compressingair or gases comprising in combination, a rotary compressorapiston compressor receiving and further compressing the fluid oompressed and discharged 'bv the rotary com-- pressor, a steam turbine riving the compressor, a separate motor driving the ciprocating compressor, and means rcspom. si'vo to the delivery pressure-of the reciproeating compressor for regulating the adminsionof steam tothe turbine.

2. Apparatus'for compressing air or other 11 gases comprising in combination, a rotary compressor, a piston compressor receiving and further compressing the fluid com) pressed and discharged by the rotary 0081* pressor, a reciprocating steam engine driving the reciprocating compressor, a turbine -11} utilizing exhaust steam from said engine and driving said rotary compressor and yneam responsive to the delivery pressure "of the admission 0 steam to the turbine.

3. Apparatus for compressing air and other gases comprising in'combination, a rotary compressor, a piston compressor recoiw; ing and further compressing the fluid compressed and discharied by the rotary-com pressor, asteam tur ine adapted to utilize;v

exhaust steam and driving said rotary compressor, a reciprocating engine driving said piston compressoxja conduit through which exhaust steam fromthe reciprocating engine I passes to the turbine inlet, means responsive to'the delivery pressure of the reciprocatin compressor for regulating the admission 0 ference between the pressure in said conduit andin the turbine for regulating the passage of steam from said conduit to said condenser.

4. Apparatus for compressing air and other gases comprising in combination, a rotary compressor, a piston compressor receiving and further compressing the fluid compressed and dischar ed by the rotary compressor, a steam tur ine adapted to utilize the exhaust steam and driving said rotary compressor, a reciprocating engine driving said piston compressor, a condenser, and

means responsive to the delivery pressure of the reciprocating compressor for governing the passage of exhaust steam from the reciprocating engine to, and its distribution between 'said turbine and condenser.

5. Apparatus for compressing air or other gases comprising in combination, a rotary compresor, a piston compressor receiving and further compressing the fluid compressed and discharged by the rotary compres'sor, a reciprocatlng engine driving said piston compressor, a mixed pressure turbine sive to the delivery driving said rotary compressor, and governing mechanism for said turbine responcating compressor. I

6. pparatus for compressing air or other gases comprisin in combination, a rotary compressor, a piston compressor receiving and further compressing the fluid compressed and discharged by the rotary com pressor, a reciprocating engine said piston compressor, a mixed pressure turbine driving said rotary compressor, a condenser, valved connections for passing steam from the reciprocating engine to said turbine and also directly to said condenser, a valved live steam connection to said turbine, and means, .responsiveto the delivery pressure of the reciprocating compressor,v

for controllin said valved connections in such manner t at at light loads the exhaust steam from the reciprocating engine pressure of the. reciproexhaust pass in varying amounts depending on the '1.

load to said condenser and turbine and the latter will be operatedexclusively bysaid low pressure steam, While at larger loads the turbine will receive live steam.

- AUGUSTE C. E.-RA 'I L'JAUQ Witnesses: i v U I CHAS. B. PRnssLY, 

